


Health Nut

by lost_stickie_note



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Happy 24th Birthday Yanjun!, M/M, More Fluff, Two seconds of Zhengting, Yanjun being stupid, Zhangjun, perfectfriend!Ziyi, sarcastic!Dinghao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-23 12:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20340379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_stickie_note/pseuds/lost_stickie_note
Summary: In which Yanjun decides that maybe he should be a healthier version of himself. Just kidding, he just wants to get to know the cute boy teaching yoga.#Zhangjun #Happy24thBirthdayYanjun





	Health Nut

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, back with all the fluffy goodness for Yanjun's birthday. ♡ -cough- And even though this is a fluff fic, couldn't resist the dirty joke for the title. :DD Enjoy!
> 
> I will be updating with more stuff likely for Zhangjing's birthday coming up soon. ♡
> 
> In addition, as a matter of bookkeeping, I may be planning on writing some non-NPC/IPD/QCYN, etc. related fics for the future (likely kpop-related). Should I create another pseud on ao3 or does no one care that I post it all to this one? Still in the process of figuring out whether I want to and just thought I'd ask. :3 If you have an opinion, please feel free to vote on my Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/loststickienote/status/1164919123236851712) or drop a comment.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: [@loststickienote](https://twitter.com/loststickienote) for updates, randomness, etc. or to scream about Zhangjun, my DMs are always open.

Yanjun makes sure to show up ten minutes early, scouting for a spot in the back of the room to hide and set up his newly bought yoga mat, the price sticker still stuck on to the bottom, which he hastily scratches off after noticing. His friend Dinghao grumbles behind him, unwillingly unfurling the second yoga mat that Yanjun had shoved into his arms fifteen minutes ago. Yanjun feels his mouth go dry as the other boy walks into the room, a surprised expression crossing his face. _Probably not expecting to see anyone here yet._

“Hi there. You must be new.” The shorter boy comes over with a smile, extending his hand for a handshake, and Yanjun inwardly swoons at the sight of the other boy’s cute front teeth. “I’m Zhangjing, the instructor of this class.”

“Yanjun.” The smaller boy’s hand feels warm in his. “Oh, and uh, this is Dinghao.” He waves his hand in his friend’s general direction. “This is our first time coming to your class.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy today.”

Zhangjing’s smile turns him into a mess, and he just continues to nod, not trusting himself to speak. The other boy is even cuter in person compared to his photo on the staff bulletin board hanging over the front desk of the gym. Ziyi had dragged him to the gym last week, claiming that he needed to lift some weight or else he’d fly away with a gust of wind. He had begrudgingly accompanied his insistent roommate, dreading the potential soreness he could already feel coming on for the next day. And while waiting for the other boy to sign him in for a guest pass under his membership, Yanjun had curiously perused the bulletin board, a number of different classes offered as well as other advertisements for a variety of fitness related things.

Zhangjing’s picture had been pinned under the staff section, his cuteness glowing even in the low quality photo, and Yanjun had jumped at the chance, searching for the boy’s class after realizing the title of ‘instructor’ was written in Zhangjing’s profile. He had gleefully signed himself up for the class, grateful that it wasn’t some ridiculously difficult cardio class.

Yoga is a lot harder than he had expected.

"Why did you even drag me here?"

  
  
"Because I didn't want to show up alone." Yanjun hisses, attempting to copy the pose the instructor is demonstrating at the front of the room, keeping one eye on the guy in the mirror while turning to respond. "I didn't want to look like a fool showing up by myself when everyone comes with a friend."

Dinghao gives him a pointed look. "Well, you're doing a superb job of looking like a fool regardless."

  
  
Yanjun grits his teeth. "I don't need you to point that out for me right now." He gasps as the wind is knocked out of him, his limbs refusing to obey and giving out from underneath him. "God, yoga shouldn't be this difficult."

  
  
"It's not, you're just terrible at it." Dinghao easily gets up from the pose, staring down at him. "And isn't this sort of over the top? Taking this class just because you have a crush on the instructor?"

The other boy keeps talking, but Yanjun is distracted as the instructor calls out. "Everybody, let's give Zhengting a hand for managing to do such a difficult pose.

  
  
Zhangjing is beaming at Zhengting, and he imagines lasers shooting out of his eyes burning Zhengting to a crisp. It doesn’t help his cause that Zhengting is easily the best participant in the room, showing off a flexibility that Yanjun isn’t sure he can achieve even if he had started yoga ten years earlier. And all without even breaking a sweat while Yanjun is sure he’s managed to lose two pounds just from exertion.

“That guy is really good.” Dinghao comments offhandedly, and Yanjun shoots a glare at his friend, not needing the blow to his self-esteem, which Dinghao proceeds to ignore, twisting the knife in further just for extra measure. “I don’t think you could achieve that pose no matter how hard you tried.”

He’s about to snap the other boy’s head off when the voice comes out of nowhere, shutting him up immediately. “Do you need help?” Zhangjing is looking at him questioningly, gesturing towards his yoga mat. “It’s a bit hard for first timers.”

Yanjun is torn between wanting to accept help and stubbornly refusing to admit that he needs it to this stranger he’s trying to impress. Eventually the practical side of him wins out, not relishing the idea of spending the next hour falling over repeatedly in front of Zhangjing. The shorter boy smiles when he nods, spending the next few minutes giving him a helping hand, keeping him balanced as he transitions from one pose to another. Zhangjing’s instructions help him immensely, the poses slightly easier than before even though he still feels as if every muscle is on fire.

At the end of the hour, he feels exhausted, the soreness already beginning to set in his bones, the laughter on Dinghao’s face not helping matters. But the gentle encouragement, Zhangjing meeting his eyes from across the room, a brief smile gracing his lips each time he catches Yanjun doing something correctly spurs him on and through the whole session.

“So are you going to go up and talk to him or just stand here like a lovestruck idiot?” Dinghao says bluntly, rolling up his yoga mat as he talks. “And not that I don’t love you as a friend, but I think next time I’d like to be kept out of your silly plans to woo cute boys.”

“Shush, I’m going to talk to him. I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

“Is the right moment when he leaves the room? Because I can see how it might be hard to have a conversation if he’s gone.”

And sure enough, Zhangjing is in the middle of packing up all his things, clearly getting close to leaving. Yanjun takes a deep breath and wills himself forward, hoping he isn’t coming off as some creep who only showed up to a class to hit on the instructor. _Oh wait. _In his panicked state, he blurts out the words before he is ready. “Hi, Zhangjing.”

The smaller boy looks up from where he is crouched next to his gym bag, immediately brightening into a smile when he sees Yanjun. “Oh, hi there. You said it was your first time in this class, right? I hope you had a good time. You seemed to really improve towards the end.”

“Only because you were teaching me.” Yanjun wants to take it back as soon as he says it, the words sounding unbelievably cheesy even to him, but Zhangjing laughs instead, the bright tinkling sound music to Yanjun’s ears. “I was actually wondering if you’d like to get a drink with me.”

Yanjun swears the _yes _coming from Zhangjing’s mouth is the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t exactly what he meant when he said _drinks_.

Yanjun watches as the shorter boy slurps up the green colored concoction from the large-sized cup held in between his hands. And he winces as Zhangjing asks, nodding at Yanjun’s equally green drink though much smaller as he had endeavored to order the smallest size possible after reading the menu. “Well, aren’t you going to try it?”

He smiles weakly at the other boy who is smiling back encouragingly, not unlike how he had during the class, and for the first time, Yanjun wonders if there’s something more sinister behind the cuteness. Because Zhangjing is downing his drink as if its green from matcha powder instead of kale, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that he had two scoops of protein dumped into the drink as well. Yanjun tries not to gag as he lets the first sip hit his tongue, and the next fifteen minutes are excruciatingly painful as he forces himself to drink every last sip in some screwed up exhibition of his prideful nature.

It isn’t until Zhangjing leaves, and he is calling out the words _see you next week _that Yanjun realizes that he’s probably in way over his head.

“Okay, so he’s a health nut. What’s so bad about that?” Ziyi doesn’t skip a beat as Yanjun spills his news, continuing to bicep curl his free weights. “I’m a health nut too, but you still hang out with me. And dare I say it, actually _enjoy _my company.”

“But this is _different_.” Yanjun insists, ignoring the dirty look he gets from another gym member for needlessly taking up a bench, with absolutely no intention of using any weights. “You’re my friend, and I want Zhangjing to be my boyfriend. Besides, I _hate_ eating at your house. It’s the first time I experienced raiding a fridge at two in the morning after a night of drinking being so frustrating.”

“Well, if you want to date him, you’ll have to tell him eventually that you like junk food. He’ll find out the instant you invite him over anyways. Not as if you can pretend forever.” Ziyi pauses. “I’m surprised you’re going through so much trouble though. This is the most I’ve seen you in the gym in the last year. I mean, not that you’re actually _doing_ anything, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Yanjun groans. “The way you’re making fun of me right now, I can almost mistake you for being Dinghao.”

“Speaking of, where is he? Weren’t you going to drag him along to the class today too?”

He sighs. “Don’t remind me. Dinghao refused to come.”

“Probably because you’re ridiculous.”

Half an hour later, and Yanjun does indeed feel ridiculous, the impossibility of the task before him making him want to get up, leave the room, and return to his apartment to take a long nap while stewing in regret over his life choices. Because he cannot do the pose that Zhangjing is doing. Well, it’s not exactly a pose that’s part of the class either. The other boy is off to the side with Zhengting, the two of them clearly having a good time. Or at least Yanjun assumes as much since Zhangjing is laughing at whatever Zhengting says, the excited chattering never-ending. And they are both stretched out in a split, facing each other.

Yanjun thinks that if he tries to do a split, he might break something.

The mere thought makes _that _hurt.

He wonders if he should give up now, and the thought is still on his mind when the session wraps up, and even the small smiles and nods of approval from Zhangjing can’t help him shake the feeling off. Not after watching Zhengting give Zhangjing a goodbye hug before leaving the room. He is so absorbed in his thoughts, dragging his feet while packing up his things, that he doesn’t hear Zhangjing at first.

“Hello? Earth to Yanjun.”

The sudden waving of a hand in front of his face finally causes him to glance upwards, Zhangjing standing over him with a bemused expression on his face. “How did you think your second session went?”

“Errr…” Yanjun doesn’t know what to say, stalling for time instead, shifting from one foot to another awkwardly as Zhangjing stares at him, clearly waiting for an answer.

“…crap.” He startles as Zhangjing swears, an apologetic look crossing the shorter boy’s face. “I actually need to be somewhere in and hour or so, and I haven’t eaten anything today yet. I’m kind of starving right now. Would you want to chat over some food or something? You can pick the restaurant.”

Yanjun nods, the joy at being able to spend more time with Zhangjing barely registering, the panic arising as he wracks his brain with suitable dinner food for someone who wants healthy options. His top five restaurants are hotpot, a Korean fried chicken place, a burger joint, a bar owned by a friend, and oh yeah, another hot pot place. _Screwed._

“I need to go drop something off at the front desk, but I’ll meet you out front?” Zhangjing doesn’t wait for a response before darting off, and Yanjun frantically whips out his phone to text Ziyi.

**Yanjun**

Quick.

Best healthy restaurants.

Near your gym.

**Ziyi**

What? Have you finally seen the light?

**Yanjun**

Hurry up.

Not much time.

**Ziyi**

Never thought I’d see the day.

Yanjun asking for healthy options.

Hallelujah!

**Yanjun**

Don’t make me hate you.

Yanjun looks up nervously at the sign, not sure how to feel about the option that Ziyi had given him, but the other boy had sworn it was the best vegan restaurant around, sporting 4.5 stars and getting rave reviews from their local food critics.

“I didn’t know you were vegan.” Zhangjing looks at him curiously, pointing at the sign in the window that says _meat lovers not allowed_ in a speech bubble hovering over a cute albeit somewhat badly drawn cow. “Do you eat here often?”

“Yes, I mean, no. Well, not exactly.” Yanjun stammers, the words coming out in a disorganized jumble. “I mean, in a way, aren’t we all vegan?” _Shit that didn’t make any sense whatsoever. _He winces, fully expecting Zhangjing to call him out, waiting for the smaller boy to lose absolutely any interest he may have had in the first place in spending time with Yanjun.

He’s surprised when Zhangjing laughs. “You’re not vegan, are you?”

“No, not at all.” He confesses sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with embarrassment.

“Then why did you pick this place?”

“I thought you liked healthy food. Because of the kale smoothies last week.”

Zhangjing doesn’t say anything for a second, and Yanjun begins to think that he’s misspoke, ruining his chance.

“Actually, I was hoping you would want hotpot.” The smaller boy’s eyes twinkle mischievously. “And to tell you the truth, I kind of hate those smoothies.”

The words come out before he can stop them. 

“Do you want to go on a date with me?”

“Isn’t this already a date?”

Well, then.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated!
> 
> Twitter: [@loststickienote](https://twitter.com/loststickienote)  
CC: [@loststickienote](https://curiouscat.me/loststickienote)


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